Verstappen Triumphs in Miami Grand Prix Sprint Race, Leclerc Second, Perez Third
Max Verstappen secured yet another victory on his path towards a potential Miami sweep. The 19-lap sprint race, held on Saturday ahead of qualifying for Sunday’s main event, witnessed Verstappen fending off competition from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to clinch the top spot on the podium.
Verstappen’s drive saw him maintain the lead throughout the race, crossing the finish line 3.3 seconds ahead of Lecler. The Ferrari drivers pace was impressive enough to secure second place. The Red Bull duo continued their strong showing, with Sergio Perez claiming the third spot, further solidifying the team’s dominate trend.
Meanwhile, Daniel Ricciardo delivered a standout performance. The Australian secured fourth place, marking his best result in any race format since the 2021 Italian Grand Prix. The VCARB driver displayed his veteran poise. He at one point battled his way up to third place on the opening lap. Ultimately dropping back down to fourth place and holding off fifth-place finisher Carlos Sainz for the remainder of the race.
A Rare Sight
Oscar Piastri of McLaren found himself in sixth place after his teammate Lando Norris fell victim to an early incident on the opening lap. Norris was forced out of contention after a collision between the two Aston Martins at Turn 1. This was triggered by Lewis Hamilton’s ambitious move up the inside. While Alonso suffered a puncture and dropped to last place.
A rare sight in modern Formula One took place after this incident. After Norris’s McLaren was deemed unable to go on, the Englishman decided he would walk back to the team’s pit garage on his own. The incident happened right outside the pitlane exit. Because Norris’s car ended up on the run off area on the other side of the track, he had to cross over to make it back. Although there were no cars in sight, the track was still considered live at that point. Norris’s actions caused him to go under investigation. He was later reprimanded and fined for the whole ordeal.
Penalties Factored In
Nico Hulkenberg of Haas delivered a solid performance and earned seventh place. This added valuable points to his tally for the 2024 season. However, the race was not without its drama, as Hamilton initially finished eighth after a tense battle with Kevin Magnussen. Magnussen’s aggressive defense tactics resulted in multiple track excursions, leading to multiple penalties at a total time of 35-seconds. Hamilton, meanwhile, faced a post-race penalty for speeding in the pit lane. The penalty demoted him to 16th place and promoted Yuki Tsunoda into the final points position in eighth.
View the full standings of the sprint race here.
Even if the total laps are cut in half, there was still plenty of action at the Miami Grand Prix sprint race. Now that the sprint portion of the weekend has finished, anticipation mounts for qualifying that will decide the grid for the main race on Sunday later today.
